Suit of clothing for women.



A. W. POWELL.

SUIT 0F CLOTHING FOR WOMEN.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.17, 1911.

Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. W. POWELL.

SUIT 0F CLOTHING FOR WOMEN.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.17,1911.

Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

awugwlfo o Wiiweooeo ALMA WEBSTER POWELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SUIT 0F CLOTHING FOR WOMEN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18,1913.

Application filed April 17, 1911. Serial No. 621,556.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALMA WEBSTER Pow- ELL, a citizen of the United States of America,and a rwident of the borough of Brooklyn, in the city and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Suits of Clothing for Women, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to dress-reform substitutes for ordinary dresses and petticoats, especially for the short dresses and bloomers of previous dress-reform costumes, and consists in anovel outfit or suit composed of a peculiarly constructed bifurcated garment or bloomers and a long coat of dress-like appearance provided internally with suspenders for the bloomers and preferably and conveniently so proportioned and fastenable as to. wholly conceal them but adapted to be opened without exposure sufficiently for fast walking; the same being designed and adapted to be worn on the street when the weather is wet or inclement under a circular cape, falling to the knees around the person. I

The leading object of the invention is the production .of an outfit of womanly and neat aippearance, supported wholly from the ers of the wearer, and adapted to shoul give the limbs due freedom, without any of the customary skirts and waistbands of womens attire.

Other objects will be setforth in the general description which follows.

Two sheets of drawings accompany this specification, as part thereof.

Figure 1 represents the complete suit, in front view, with the cape thrown back and the coat partly open to show the construction. Fig. 2 is an inner view of the coat detached; Fig. 3 is a front view of the bloomers detached; Fig. 4 represents the pattern of each half of the bloomers apart from the top and leg bands, with the plaits of the goods indicated by dotted lines; Fig. 5 represents the top band of the bloomers; Fig. 6 represents one of the leg bands and the manner of laiting the goods at each leg band; Fig. l is a top view of the bloomers with the front plaits exposed and opened to show theirarrangement.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in all the figures.

The new or improved suit of clothing for women, as a whole, consists, as aforesaid, of bloomers, shown at a; and a long'coat or coat-dress,

shown at b; the same being designed and adapted to be worn under a circular cape falling to the knees as shown at c in Fig. 1. The cape 0 may be'of any known or improved make. The other articles are of novel construction, as herein-' after described.

The improved bloomers a (Fig. 3) are yokeless, and terminate at bottom and top, respectively, in bands, 1 and 2, adapted to embrace the legs below the knees and in a top band 3 adapted to loosely embrace the person some distance below the waist. The main cloth of each half of the bloomers is of the pattern represented by Fig. 4, being cut in rectangular shape from suitable soft fabric and with a curvilinear notch, 4, in its upper edge midway between the lateral edges. If the goods be narrow, the seam 5, between the pieces may be located in line with the leg-band slit, 6, as in Fig. 4. The cloth is plaited in the manner illustrated by Figs. 6 and 7 so as to produce the effect of a full skirt where the cloth falls loosely below the leg bands 1 and 2, doubling upon itself substantially on the line 77, Fi 3. The plaiting is represented by dotte lines 8 and 9 in Fig. 4, where the heavier lines, 9, represent the outwardly projecting folds or plait edges at the bands. The cloth is plaited to each of the leg bands 1 and 2 in the manner illustrated by Fig. 6 in connection with said dotted lines in Fig. 4; the side seam 10 bein masked by a box plait, 11, at the outer si e of the leg; :1 series of plaits 12, all of which are folded toward the center of the front of the garment, extending from said box plait to the extremity of the front portion of the band 1 or 2, with a cluster of plaits, 13, at the extremity of the band, and a series of larger plaits, 14, extending to the extremity of the back portion of the band so as to give the back of the garment sufficient fullness. A crease, 15, may extend from the extremity of the front portion of each leg band to the short front slit, 16, at the top of the garment, and this slit may be the only other opeuin of the garment; the two main parts or ha ves being customarily stitched together along the edges of the seat notch 4. The front plaits 12 are duplicated at the top band 3, as represented at 12' in Fig. 7, on each side of said front slit 16; suitable means for fastening said front slit 16 and the leg-band slits 6 are provided, as represented by buttons and button-holes 17 and the upper ends of'its front side and side back parts, and to cross each other in front of its back parts 4', and provided with supplemental tabs, 23 and 24, so as to form four button-holed ends, 19, in front to engage with said front buttons 19, and three such ends, 20, behind to engage with said back buttons 20. The main portions of the suspenders are conveniently arranged behind and concealed by the lining, 25, of the coat, as represented in Fig. 2; said lining being provided at or about the waist height with apertures, 26, Fig. '2, through which the button-holed ends 19 and 20' protrude and extend downward to the top band 3 of the'bloomers. The coat I) is further constructed with front edges 27'and 28, and with side and back slits, 29 and 30, each of which is provided with suitable fastenings, represented by buttons and button-holes 31 and 32, so that by closing them from top to bottom, as they are normally worn, the

' bloomers a are inclosed and concealed. -For fast walking, the lower portion of the coat may be opened in front and at said slits 29 and 30 without unwomanly exposure; the upper ends of said slits 29 and 30 being safely below the height of said top band of the bloomers.

It will be understood that the improved suit of clothing is not a dress protector for occasional use; but a substitute for ordinary dresses and etticoats, and especially for the short dresses and bloomers of previous dress-reform costumes. 1

My combined coat and bloomers adapt themselves as no short dress could to a cor.-

1 setless figure. The long row of coat-buttons down the front gives the effect of length,

and the weight of the full-plaited bloomers hanging from the fitted upper portion of the coat hold the latter well down, and prevent wrinkles about the bust; thus'doing away with bones in the seams. The closebuttoned long coat construction does away with any necessity for fullness in the skirt of the coat and preserves the womanly appearance.

Other fastenings may obviously be substituted for buttons and button-holes; the bloomers may be inseparably attached within the coat; and other like modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled the art. I

Having thus described said improvement, I claim as my invention, and desire to patent under this specification: 1. In a suit of clothing for women, the combination with a yokeless bifurcated garment terminating at top in a band adapted to loosely surround the person below the waist and provided with suspender attaching means, of a long coat having a lining provided at or about the waist with apertures and provided with suspenders adapted to cross the shoulders between the lining and the outer cloth with their extremities protruding through said apertures, extending downward to said top'bandrand attachable thereto. 2. An improved suit of clothing for women, said improved suit comprising a yokeless bifurcated garment theupper edge of which. is fitted to loosely surround the person below the waist, and which is plaited to produce a full skirt effect, and a long coat of ALMA BSTER POWELL.

- Witnesses: I GEORGE CAssA, DAVID CRIMMINS.

dress-like appearance extending be-. low said bifurcated garment and having 

